NASA experts have found a way to land a large spacecraft safely on Mars using a concept based on a child's toy.

Engineers from Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia are developing a lightweight inflatable heat shield that looks like a mammoth version of a stacking ring toy kids play with.

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The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, the tech term for the inflatable rings, will be filled with nitrogen and protected from re-entry heat by a thermal blanket. The rings will be located above the descending spacecraft.

"We try to not use propulsion if we don't have to. We make use of that atmosphere as much as we can, because it means we don't have to carry all that fuel with us," said Neil Cheatwood, the senior engineer at Langley for advanced entry, descent and landing systems.

They believe the design could help slow the spacecraft as it encounters Mars' atmosphere, which is much thinner than Earth's. Rockets alone can't be used to land a large spacecraft on the Red Planet. Parachutes won't work for a large spacecraft transporting humans to Mars.

Research reveals the inflatable heat shield could do the trick. It could help a spacecraft reach the high-altitude southern plains of Mars and other Martian locations be unreachable with existing technology.

TagsInflatable Spacecraft Technology, NASA, Langley Research Center, Inflatable rings, Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, red planet, Mars, space exploration